As the shimmering of the leap subsides Sam sees that he is in an old control room that looks like a test sight.
"Preparing the final countdown. 15, 14, 13, 12-" the loudspeaker says.
Sam looks around and sees a map with a small town nearby, and a dot on it that is marked A-Bomb Test Sight.
"Wait you have to stop the countdown!"
"No! It's almost done."
Sam sees an abort switch on a panel and he flips it. The loud speaker then announces, "Test Aborted."
A man in an army uniform comes over and grabs Sam by the shirt and yells, "You better have a good excuse for doing that Doctor!"
Sam struggles and sputters, "Oh, Boy."
"Well do you!" the angry man in the doctor's coat says as he addresses Sam.
"It's not right to do these tests. These…devices…are…"
"Are you trying to support those who try to disprove our work?"
"No. I'm just saying aren't there better ways to test without-"
"With out what. Human causalities." The general asks.
Sam thinks to himself, what was he there to put right and where in god's name was Al….
Atomic
September 27, 1954
"Take the good doctor over to the barracks. He'll need some more convincing." The general orders. "And reset the test site for another try. After all, that is the reason we are out here in the middle of New Mexico."
Sam thought to himself that he was back in New Mexico. But when in time had he landed. Why was he there to test A-bombs?
While two burly looking soldiers escorted Sam, he looked around the base. He recognized it as a test site that was nearby the project in his time. As they arrived at the barracks, which seemed to be for civilians and doctors such as him, the soldiers patted him down and then let him go in. This was unusual for a military base, Sam thought.
"What no handcuffs." Sam joked.
One of the soldiers reaches for them but then realizes he was joking. Sam gets a startled look on his face. The soldiers leave and Sam notices his picture ID for the base. It reads: Dr. George Kelerman. Project Alamogordo. Test site A. Clearance level 4.
"Kelerman. He was one of the people who tried to stop the testing back in the fifties." Sam spoke aloud.
"You shouldn't say that. The walls can hear you know." Another scientist says as he walks out for his shift. He looked sort of familiar. He was short, and he had curly hair. But what was it that Sam knew about him.
"Doctor Gushman. Right this way." The general says as he gives an evil stare back at Sam.
Sam turns around when he sees Al arrive. Al looks around and says, "Oh My God. You are here."
"Here. Where's here?" Sam asks.
"You don't remember but this was the first site we consider for Quantum Leap, Sam. But we were denied for some sort of preservation technicality." Al informs.
"But you don't look like you have good news."
"No. Let's see…It's September 27, 1954. You have leaped into George Kelerman. You're a scientist working on the final A-Bomb tests in Alam-"
"Yeah, I know that. Why am I here."
"You're here to stop them." As Al points to the command center.
"You see these test will contaminate the air and kill hundreds of people from fallout. But the nozzle of a general got off with all the charges being dropped because the towns peoples main witnesses are killed tomorrow in an 'accident' during a test."
"Well-who is the witnesses."
"A nurse named Mary Soldara and…you."
Sam looks in shock because he has no idea how to pull this one off.
'Whenever I leap into a place usually I'm met with some aggression and some hostility. But this was different. I don't think I can remember a time when I was so disliked in the place I've leapt into. Hopefully I can change the Mary something and save these people while trying to sneak under the nose of the General. But if it doesn't work I may change things worse than before. But there's always risk in leaping…that's one of the fallbacks of doing this. But, whom else would want to do it…'
Sam is now on a hillside overlooking the town where people will or already are showing symptoms of radiation poisoning. He feels a presence behind his and turns around. It is a young woman about thirty. She has on a nurse's uniform and her nametag reads: Slodara.
"Thinking of a way to stop this." She asks.
"I'm trying. It's not easy with everyone looking over your shoulder." He responds.
"Well…you could tell them that you need something from town. They may let you go."
"Come with me…" Sam says. "I don't think they would mind if-"
"I can't. I've gone there too many times. I think they know about what we're doing."
"You mean warning the people of the sickness going around." Sam concludes.
"Yeah. But I don't think they're going to stop what they're doing even if the president intervened. They are bent on trying those innocent people as human guinea pigs. It' just not fair."
"Life isn't. But it doesn't give a person the right to impugn a death sentence on those who are innocent. They are…monsters."
She looks back and he boss a mean looking nurse with a army uniform, gives her a mean stare. "I'd better get back. I'll see you soon."
"Okay." Sam responds as he gets a bad feeling down in his gut. He knows that he has only a few hours to stop the 'madmen' that run this place.
In the command bunker the general is handed a paper reporting what Sam and Mary just conversed about. He looks at it and crumples it up. The he takes a picture of himself and Mary together. He then orders, "Bring Nurse Soldara to me."
In the control bunker Sam sneaks in and tries to access the mainframe. He attempts to change the conditions of the test but he is interrupted. The general and some soldiers come in and apprehend him.
"I knew you would try it. Don't you know, we watch you every second of the day." The general says.
""It was worth a try, after all. You're killing people and no one can do anything about it." Sam says.
"Well…now we can add two more subjects. Now if you'll go with the guards."
Two guards try to take Sam but he kicks one of them the other tries to handcuff Sam and he punches him. Then the other beat him down with nightsticks.
"I guess we'll have to do this the hard way."
The general hits Sam one the back of the head knocking him out.
As Sam regains consciousness, he finds him self in a small house. He sees Mary next to him unconscious. He gets up and the handcuffs are gone. He looks out a window and realizes the horror of where he is. He is on the test range for the atomic bomb.
Sam goes over to Mary and revives her. At that moment, Al arrives and tells Sam, "What are you doing here? Do you know where you're at?!"
"Yes. I know. How do I get out of here?"
"Uh…there's a small cave near here. You both can hide there and hopefully the blast will miss you." Al says.
As Sam helps up Mary they run out of the house and run for the cave. They get there and find a small opening. Mary crawls inside but Sam waits. Al is wondering why.
"Sam! What are you waiting for? You've got to get in."
"Wait. I know who that general is. His name is Con- no…" Sam says trying to remember.
"It doesn't matter. You've got to get in the cave."
"No. I can't. I have to make sure original history is preserved."
"What! Sam you gotta save yourself. Get in the cave."
Sam starts running for the house again and Al catches up with him.
As Sam enters the countdown is already down to twenty seconds. Sam goes in and awaits the fate.
"Have you lost your mind, Sam? You have to change history so that-"
"No, I don't! I can't explain it I just know that George has to die for…Gushie."
"What!?"
"That was Gushie's father. He was part of a project that tested the bombs. His friend was killed and they stopped the tests. That is why he has to die. Because if he doesn't more people will die."
Al hits some buttons on the handlink and confirms Sam intuition. "I can't believe it. That's right. Gushie just told me."
"Well what now?"
Just then the handlink starts making all kinds of noise, and realizes what is happening. "Sam! We're at ground zero during an-"
"An atomic blast!" As Sam's eyes widen.
"Eight …seven…six…" they here in the distance. But when Sam runs for the door, he sees the general with a gun pointed at him.
Sam looks at him and asks, "Who are you?"
There isn't a response because the bomb is dropped and the blast widens out across the canyon. But as it goes out so do the blue light tingling with electrical energy.
Sam leaps in and is standing in an old room of a building. He looks at Al who is still there. He is confused and asks, "What happened?"
"I don't know. Where are we?"
"I don't know you have the handlink." Sam says as he sees that Al has different clothes on.
Al looks at the handlink but it's dead. Then he realizes what Sam is thinking. Al tries to walk through a chair in the room but fails.
Sam then walks through a couch and walks over to Al. They both look at each other and say, "Not again!"
TO BE CONTINUED